Fading Away
by CreativeWr1ter
Summary: Training back in two was supposed to have you ready, solid, and willing to do anything to come home victorious. This...this you weren't prepared for. This is something you would've never been prepared for.


How do you prepare for something like this? This horrid event, these "Hunger Games", how do you possibly get yourself to a point where your only concern is making sure that the life drains out of twenty-three other unfortunate adolescent, one of whom could very well be someone that you know, maybe a best friend that you've known since you were a child, could be your brother or sister.

But, what if it's that one person, that you know things wouldn't ever be the same without them? How do you take life from the person who puts it into you without even trying? Cato Anderson and Clove Bonsworth were prepared for exactly that situation. They were trained to go for the quickest possible ending if/when it came down to that, as to not prolong suffering. That was something that they were taught early at The Academy in District 2, where they trained for The Games, and when they were both deemed the appropriate choices for tributes, volunteered at the Reaping. But no amount of training can prepare you for _this_.

Because what can prepare you for the love of your life dying in your arms?

* * *

He was dashing towards the Cornucopia as it happened. He saw Thresh approaching from behind her as she had Katniss mounted, poised to extinguish The Girl on Fire. He screamed out toward her, but by then it was too late, the tribute from 11 was at Clove and had her pinned against the Cornucopia, her neck in one hand, a rock in the other.

"CATO! CATO! HELP!"

Time seemed to stand still as he saw the rock begin its rise, gripped tight, and finish its journey square against Clove's temple.

Seeing red, he sprinted forward, reaching Thresh before he could even react to the blur of blonde hair that was headed his way. Cato got a hold of his head and twisted until he heard the crack, letting the lifeless body drop to the floor. Seeing red, he began stalking toward the still shaken and woozy girl doing her best to retreat back into the forest with her bag showing the number '12' on it, when he was brought to a halt by a strained, tired plea, "Cato, please..."

His hand steady on his sword, he began walking backwards toward Clove, his eyes never leaving Katniss'. When he reached her, he finally broke eye contact to look down at his partner, and in the same instant wished that he hadn't. The entire left side of her face was caked in red, and just from a single look at her, he knew there was no saving her.

When he came to terms with her fate, his priorities switched instantly. Self-preservation took a backseat, and the only thing that mattered to him at the moment was making Clove as comfortable as she could possibly be. He carried her away from the Cornucopia, out into the forest, where he then noticed something. Slowly, but without pause, her head was moving in every direction, almost as if she was looking for something.

As he looked down to gauge her reaction to what it is that she was looking for, he feels a stab of pain in his chest. Upon seeing her eyes, he noticed that they weren't really focusing on anything specific, just a far-off look about them. Bringing them over to a tree, he lowered the both of them to the ground, leaning against the wood.

"Cato...", he heard the girl whisper, sounding like she was struggling for every breath she was taking at this point. He could feel the terror, the utter fear radiating from her.

"Yeah, Clove?"

"Cato, I...I can't...I can't see. I can't see anything." With tears beginning to fall, she began reaching her hand out, looking for any part of him that would lead her hand to his. Simply assuming that she wanted what anyone would want right now, comfort, he took her wandering hand between both of his and brought it up to his lips, placing a pillow-soft kiss to the back of it. He didn't know how he was going to hold himself together for this, because it was already beginning to destroy any and all walls that he might have still had up by the time that he got them to the tree.

"It's ok, Clove, I'm here." He began chewing on the inside of his cheek to try and hold back any of the tears that were threatening to start falling. He held her as close to him as possible, knowing he would never be able to do so again.

"I'm scared. It's so dark...," she rasped out, completely broken, slowly starting to feel herself fade.

"Don't be scared, I won't let anything hurt you, I've got you." Right now, he was balancing her, and the process of racking his brain with ways to keep his composure, because he needed to be strong for her. He closed his eyes, and tried to breathe deep, to steady himself.

"Do you think we'll see each other again?"

This broke him. Tears began flowing freely down his cheeks, wetting her shoulder, "I do, and we'll be happy, because we'll be free of all this. There is absolutely somewhere we'll meet again. Nothing will keep me from you."

With those final words from him, she went limp in his arms, but not before getting her final words out, "I love you."

He spent a good two minutes crying into her shoulder, after which, he lowered her body so that it was lying in the grass, looked up at the sky, and screamed.

Off in the distance, he noticed something. Being quick as to avoid the peacekeepers ruining what he wanted to do, he gathered himself, began to make his was over to a bush, and plucked something off of it. Making his way back to where he set her down, he laid by her side, taking one of her hands in one of his, and using the other one to bring his find to his mouth, swallowing it instantly.

"Nothing will keep me from you." Then everything went black

**A/N: This one-shot was inspired by one of the most beautiful fanart pictures, imo. Go check it out at**

**http:/ browse . deviantart . com /?qh=§ion;=&q=clato#/d4n37yd  
**


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